Take a look at AT&T's 'Flying COWs' - drones that returned cell service to Hurricane Ida-hit Louisiana

[Kathleen Martin]

• AT&T's Flying COW, which stands for Cell-on-Wings, is a new technology aimed at providing wireless coverage during natural disasters and big events.
• The device is a cell site situated on a drone engineered to beam wireless LTE coverage across an area of up to 40 square miles.
• The weather-resistant drone can withstand extreme conditions, and its thermal imaging can help search and rescue teams find people in buildings, tree cover, and thick smoke.

AT&T is revolutionizing LTE coverage with the Flying COW, an innovative wireless network made of a cell site situated on a drone. It is engineered to beam widespread satellite coverage to large crowds of people on the ground during natural disasters and large events.
The drone has the potential to hover over 300 feet and is connected by a tether attached to the ground. When someone texts, calls, or uses data, the signal is sent to the drone and transferred through the tether to a router. The router pushes information through a satellite, into the cloud, and finally into the AT&T network.
The tether also provides constant power to the Flying COW via a fiber, giving the drone unlimited flight time.
The drone has the potential to hover over 300 feet and is connected by a tether attached to the ground. When someone texts, calls, or uses data, the signal is sent to the drone and transferred through the tether to a router. The router pushes information through a satellite, into the cloud, and finally into the AT&T network.
The tether also provides constant power to the Flying COW via a fiber, giving the drone unlimited flight time.
Its flying capabilities allow it to soar 500% higher than a terrestrial COW mast, expanding how far the signal reaches, though more drones can be added to widen the coverage area.
Continue reading: https://news.yahoo.com/look-ts-flying-cows-drones-113500471.html